Matchmaking 101

Chapter 35- Dex

After being horrendously sat on, (thanks a lot Fitz), and then being horrendously scolded by Della for ruining the kitchen along with Sophie, Biana, Linh,Fitz, Tam, and Keefe, I was having a pretty horrendous day in total. 

When I tried to explain this to Alden, and how I simply could NOT go out shopping for a Winnowing Gala suit, or even have a Winnowing Gala in the first place because I was so traumatized by the experience that I couldn't have a Gala. 

Alden simply looked at me sadly, and patted my shoulder. "Look Dex, I know you are a friend of my son and daughter, and I would love to do you a favor. However, when my wife gets something to her mind, she never stops at it. I'm sorry. I would help you if I could. But Dex, Winnowing Galas aren't that bad. There's no reason to worry." 

Everyone would probably expect me to feel really pumped up and motivated after having a pep talk from such a famous and renowned guy. In fact, I expected myself to feel that way. Motivated. And self assured. And inspired. 

I felt nothing. 

Except horror and embarrassment as me, Tam, Fitz and Keefe were stuffed into an incredibly small carriage, (Alden was in another one. Lucky dude he was.), and heading to one of the best clothing stores in Atlantis. 

Fitz had double-checked his seat, patting it twice before sitting down. I rolled my eyes. Seriously? I wasn't that short anymore. By the way people acted around me, you would have thought I had like, extreme dwarfism or something. I'm the same size as Keefe ya know! Just cause I don't go bragging and show off around doesn't mean I don't exist!

You could cut the tension with a knife in our carriage. I desperately wanted to jump out and share a carriage with Alden instead, but here I was, stuck in a small cramped area with four other boys, during matchmaking time. While we all had crushes. On probably the same people. It was awkward. 

Like, REALLY AWKWARD. 

Keefe of course, was the one to break the awkward silence that prevented us from arguing like mad people. And of course, being Keefe, guess what it was about!

"So guys," he said, fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt. "Are you excited for the Winnowing Gala? We all know that each of us likes somebody, so lets not even pretend anymore okay? We're boys, friends. Let's just spill, okay?" 

"I would very much not like to spill," Fitz said from his spot next to Keefe. "Besides, we all know that you will probably just like, I dunno, tease us all to death about it." 

"I will!" Keefe said, sounding strangely proud. "Look, here's the deal. I'll say mine first if you guys will say yours!" 

"No deal." Tam replied from the seat across from Fitz, next to me. It was very uncomfortable to sit next to Tam for too long, because you just got this sense that he didn't want you there, which was very uncomfortable. "We all know you like Sophie anyway." 

I did NOT know this information. 

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed, nearly jumping out of my seat, but restraining myself because we were in a very small carriage and nit was already uncomfortable enough as it was. 

Everyone looked at me as if I was the most oblivious thing in the entire universe. 

"You didn't know that?" Fitz said, trying to hold in a laugh, and desperately failing. 

Tam snorted and rolled his eyes, but I could tell he too was trying to not laugh at my (apparently) complete and utter obliviousness. 

"Yeah I like Sophie," Keefe said in a really casual manner. I could never be that casual about a crush. Whenever somebody mentioned Marella, I was pretty sure my face turned into a tomato. A really red tomato. 

"How could you not like Sophie?" Keefe continued. "She's so brilliant, and beautiful, and so new to the Elvin world, yet so talented and-" 

"Dude." Tam said, raising a hand. "We do not need to hear about your rambling on why Sophie is so amazing. I've never seen anything special about her. In fact, she's never even been that interesting to me. I don't understand the tree of you guys's taste." 

Looking at the three of us and our astonished faces, Tam shrugged and put his hands in his pockets and leaned back, seriously taking up all the space in the carriage. 

"Don't look at me!" he said. "It was pretty obvious, you gotta admit. Dex, yours was extremley obvious from the get go. Like literally, when I first met you guys, I was like, oof. Because you were all looking at me like a bunch of jealous love sick boys when Sophie turned her attention from you for literally five seconds. I mean, seriously guys?!" 

"Well, don't you start talking!" Keefe muttered loudly as the carriage slowly started to slow down. I noticed Alden getting out of the carriage behind us and coming toward us and I tried to alert everyone and get them to stop talking about this and act like we were talking about sports, or something normal Elvin boys talk about. 

They didn't notice me at all. 

See what I mean when I said that I was literally invisible? 

"We all know that you like Biana Vacker just cause she's really pretty and she's not mean enough to treat you like trash!" Keefe said loudly. 

Too loudly.

Alden heard. 

Oh no.

Oh gods.

Get me outta here. 

I don't want to hear this.

CURSE SMALL CARRIAGES!!